Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has called on the Premier League to scrap early kickoffs on Saturdays to protect player welfare amid a congested schedule.
His side is scheduled to visit Newcastle United in the early lunchtime slot on Saturday and Lampard is concerned with the lack of preparation time afforded to his players, many of whom were only returning from international duty later on Thursday.
"It's not the best. When you look at the scheduling it is a common sense factor. That 12:30 p.m. slot, how often does it need to be there," Lampard told reporters on Thursday.